StoryCraft Ages 6-9

While storytelling is a great favorite of preschoolers, many elementary age children are more drawn to crafts and other activities. StoryCraft is an award-winning library program that combines storytelling with crafts in an exciting and engaging activity for children in first through third grades. Each one-hour program includes storytelling, a craft, movement, activities, music, and discussion. This collection of StoryCraft programs presents 50 fun and educational theme-based sessions. Each includes suggestions for promotion, music, crafts, activities, and stories. The sessions also include bibliographies to help direct young readers toward additional reading, as well as diagrams, detailed instructions, and supply lists for the crafts. The themes range from a Jungle Safari to Math Mayhem to a Western Roundup, all encouraging children to enjoy reading in a variety of ways. Each session has plenty of suggestions, so that the program can be customized. Helpful Hints for implementing the program can help any librarian, volunteer, or parent turn a ho-hum storytime into a dazzling StoryCraft time.
Storycraft: 50 theme-based programs combining storytelling, activities and crafts for children in grades 1-3, Ages 6, 7, 8, 9

By Martha Seif Simpson, Lynne Perrigo

Illustrated by Lynne Perrigo

Edition: illustrated

Published by McFarland & Co., 2001

Original from the University of Michigan

Digitized Oct 30, 2008

ISBN 078640891X, 9780786408917

283 pages

A collection of popular, child-tested ...

... programs. Themes include dragons, cowboys and cowgirls, kites, and magic, and are arranged alphabetically by title of program not content ("What's Cooking?" is last rather than under "food"). Each ... more » unit includes suggestions for a bulletin board, background music, an opener, stories, a group-participation activity, a craft, and numerous titles to booktalk. Step-by-step instructions for presenting the programs are offered, from promotion to cleanup, as well as "Helpful Hints." Craft instructions are divided into two parts-preparations to be done ahead of time and what the children do during the program. The authors warn that these programs are labor intensive and suggest two librarians in addition to utilizing volunteers. However, many ideas could be simplified, though the authors do not provide suggestions for doing so. A must for public librarians looking for programs to keep kids coming to the library after they've graduated from storytime.-Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA

Cahners Business Information (c) 2001

Tips for Busy Parents of Fives and Sixes

Take turns reading. "You read to me, and I'll read to you."

Fill in the blanks. Reading poetry and verses that rhyme gives you a chance to stop before the last word in a rhyming couplet and allow your child to supply the rhyme.

Play sound games. "Riddle, riddle, ree. I see something you don't see. It starts with a T." A little more advanced: "...and it ends with a K."

Make a calendar. You prepare the page and write numeral 1. Let your child fill in the rest and write special events on the days.

Write a fill in the blank of a familiar story. THE THREE PIGS: "Once upon a time there were _____. They told their _____ they were going out to seek their _____." Let your child write in the blanks. Invented spelling should be praised. (See Post: Five- and Six-year-old Preferences)

Write a biography or autobiography. Let your child fill in the blanks. "______ was born on _____. S/he weighed ______ pounds and _____ ounces. The first visitor was _____.

Make a personal jigsaw puzzle. Choose a poster, favorite picture, or personal picture. Paste it to poster board. Cut apart shapes.

Make a board game. Choose events or episodes from a favorite book as divided steps in the path. Use objects to represent characters. Use a spinner to advance, seeing who finishes the book first.

Start a memory box. Divide a small box into sections. Collecting things that relate to a favorite book is fun. Or collect items from vacation, or a walk in the woods or neighborhood. Labels each item involves writing and reading.

Cooking from a book. Chicken Soup with Rice, Green Eggs and Ham, or Watch Out for Chicken Feet in Your Soup are naturals. Many books include recipes for the character's favorite foods. Look for cookbooks based on Laura Ingles Wilder, Mary Poppins, or A. A. Milne books.

Write an acrostic poem. Capital letters of your child's first name written vertically with words or phrases describing him/her.
S ix
A nd
M arvelous!
FROM: Read to Me: Raising kids who love to Read by Bernice E. Cullinan Ages 5, 6

Tips for Reading Parents

General Activities Every Day
Put books in places your child will be.
Carry books along to appointments. Poetry: Sing a Song of Popcorn.
Put books beside the bathtub.
Keep books and magazines in your child's room.
Have your child help with the grocery list.
Read recipes: Sandra Sanders' Easy Cooking for Kids
Read road signs.
Get taped recordings of books from the library.
Activities Related to Television
Turn on closed captioning from your remote MENU. Exposure to words is vital.
Watch TV shows based on children's books: Reading Rainbow.
Limit the amount of TV.
Know what TV programs your children watch.
Build bridges between TV shows and Books. Borrow books from the library on programs on National Geographic, etc. Movies are often "based on" books, and the books can be quite different.
Talk with your child about TV programs.
Find a quiet place for you and your child to read.
Activities for Special Times
Buy a birthday book.
Make a rainy day book. Write the sounds of the rain and have your child illustrate them. Rain Talk by Mary Serfoza (Ages 5-7). Get Umbrella by Taro Yashima (Age 3)
Read on snowy days: Ezra jack Keats' The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal (Ages 3-6).
Read before vacations.
Read during vacations.
Make a holiday book.
Do crossword puzzles with your child.
FROM: Read to Me: Raising kids who love to Read by Bernice E. Cullinan. Ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Princess Things to Make and Do Ages 5+

By Ruth Brocklehurst

Published by Educ Development Corp
2004 - 34 pages

A magical sparkling activity book, brimming with ideas of things to make and do.
Includes two pages of stickers. Ages 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.